Dungeon Gym, “where fitness becomes a way of life”, is now twenty years old and continues to attract large numbers of persons to its varied fitness programmes. The facility, whose owners are Mr. and Mrs. Haydn Hughes, celebrated its 20th Anniversary on Saturday, August 15, with an Awards & Recognition Ceremony which was attended by scores of lifestyle enthusiasts.
The award categories and winners were as follows: Most Committed – Ms. Kelvo Lindo; Biggest Weight Loser – Inisha Baptiste; Most Gains – McCiver Peters; Most Senior Member – Mrs. Gilda Gumbs-Samuel; Longest Standing Member – Mr. Vernon (Twidy) Carty; Fittest Dungeonaire (female) – Ms. Kelva Lindo; Fittest Dungeonaire (male) – Mr. Machwirr Lewis; and Dungeonaire of the Year 2014- 2015 – Geshaune Clarke.
Those who received appreciation awards as Personal Trainers were: Horace Edwards; Verdine Connor; Michael Connor; McCiver Peters; Hilroy Alfred; and Vernon (Twidy) Carty who was adjudged Best Personal Trainer.
A Special Recognition Certificate was announced and presented in memory of Michel Edwards one of the first Dungeonaires who was recognised for his dedication to lifestyle fitness.
Mr. Haydn Hughes, spoke to media representatives about the development of Dungeon Gym over the years. “This event is the commemoration of twenty years of work in the fitness industry,” he stated. “I started this journey over twenty years ago with nothing more than a 25 hundred-dollar loan, and today we are witnessing so many opportunities we created in the fitness industry in Anguilla. But there are still further opportunities as Anguilla has just too many lifestyle diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and certain cancers, that can be avoided if we were to embark on a fitness lifestyle. I am not saying that people have to come to the Dungeon Gym, but I am saying that they need to start to get fit and to eat right. That is advice that we can give to persons free of cost and I have been saying that for over twenty years.”
Mrs. Marissa Hughes
Mr. Hughes continued: “We have the best fitness facility in the Caribbean. There are so many who visit this facility. On a daily basis, we have a number of tourists who just come here for the Dungeon experience. We are very proud of what we have created and we look forward to another twenty years as we continue to change lives and lifestyles in Anguilla.”
Asked whether there were plans to expand the gym, Mr. Hughes replied: “As you can see, the Dungeon Gym has evolved and has grown. It went from just weight-training to dance. We have From Within Dance that makes here its home; we have mixed martial arts and boxing; a wide variety of cardio machines; and the most extensive weight-training machines anywhere in the Caribbean. The equipment includes novel pieces you can’t find anywhere. We will be expanding the gym over the next year to incorporate a number of outdoor exercises. This section will be something that is both new and innovative.”
